As I've noted in the past, strange things usually happen on the 13th day of the month. Yesterday, for example, the house ghost fiddled with my alarm clock: she turned the volume way down and changed the tuner to a spot in between stations, so that (a) I did not hear the alarm this morning, and (b) when I turned up the volume I got a blast of static. In a new twist, the 13th must have lingered today, as when I took loose change from the office to the coin changer at on on-campus bank, the total came to $4.99...but a penny was continually rejected for several minutes (!). Finally, though, the last penny was accepted so that I could leave with a $5 bill instead of a pocket full of change. I guess, then, that the 13th was only partially still in effect....